Arrogate
by ChimeraDragon
Summary: Arrogate - to take or claim (something) without justification And there are always consequences to taking things. Because sometimes you just read a fic that inspires you! Like: /works/9370193 (Forfeit) (chapters have been fixed and re-uploaded and continued. Sorry for the issues, didn't see it before but I do check!)
1. Chapter 1

/works/9370193 (Forfeit)

Arrogate - to take or claim (something) without justification

"Captain, there seems to be an anomaly in the time stream," Gideon announced as Sara walked onto the bridge with a look of exhaustion pulling at her features.

"Aim for it, Gideon," Sara replied with a long-suffering sigh. "How long until we arrive at the anomaly?"

"Two hours Captain, it's out in space but is having a ripple effect on the rest of the Timeline," Gideon offered as the ship shuddered into motion.

"Thank you, Gideon," Sara said with a nod as she headed for Rip's office, shoulders slumped a little with the weight of the decisions she had to make. She slumped into a chair as she studied the screen on the wall that showed where they were headed with a hard to read time-stamp in the corner. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mick walk into the room silently. He moved to stand at parade rest, hands behind him, and feet shoulder-width apart. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Mick shook his head, face blank as his dull blue eyes scanned over the screen on the wall.

"What are you doing in here? Did you need something?" Sara asked.

"Gideon alerted me to an anomaly," Mick replied, tone flat and emotionless as his eyes drifted over Sara for a moment before locking on a spot in the corner. He had the look of someone that might be bored, or planning on how to dispose of a body. It was hard to tell.

"And you're on the bridge...?" Sara led.

"If you have need of me," Mick replied in that same, almost creepy, flat tone.

"You're never this helpful," Sara replied with a slight frown as she let her eyes roam over the arsonist. She remembered the incident with Martin yelling at Mick. The thief had been ... different after they'd got back to the Waverider. But there was something about this new, helpful, Mick that put her teeth on edge. Like an itch she just couldn't scratch.

"I am now."

"Are you okay?" Sara asked, genuine concern in her voice as she took a cautious step closer. She noted the way he was holding himself, slightly stiff with an air of relaxation. But every line of the man's body screamed he was anything but resting.

"I am fine."

"You don't seem fine," Sara pushed as she stopped just more than an arms length away. "You're not normally this ... monosyllabic."

Mick merely stared at the wall, shoulders loose and one hand holding the other behind him.

"Did something happen?" Sara pressed.

"I will report to you if I can not do my job," Mick replied simply, eyes moving to lock on Sara's for a brief moment before they stopped on the screen behind her. "We are approaching the anomaly sooner than expected. It seems to be close to the location the Vanishing Point was, before the explosion." His eyes drifted back to the corner, a slight hesitation in his breathing before he seemed to shut down again.

Sara whipped around to look at the screen as Gideon's voice cut through the quiet. "It would seem we have arrived ahead of schedule, Captain Lance," Gideon announced. "As Mister Rory noted."

"Okay... so, what's the anomaly out here?" Sara asked as she walked onto the bridge to see the rest of the crew walking in from both doors, confusion clearly evident on their faces.

"What seems to be the problem?" Martin asked, voice quiet as he looked out the view-port with the rest of the crew to see nothing but empty space.

"Gideon detected an anomaly, one that seems to have made the journey here in a fraction of the time she'd estimated," Sara replied as she looked with her own eyes. When she couldn't see anything she looked to the display in the middle of the room, noting the way Mick had walked out of the office to stand near the console where he looked to be studying the readouts. Silent as the space outside the ship.

"I don't see anything. If we were summoned all the way out here... you'd think there'd be something..." Ray offered lamely as he looked outside.

Sara looked at the readouts and felt a thrill of disappointment in herself as the numbers and letters meant nothing to her. She looked up at Mick with a raised eyebrow, hoping for a sympathetic nod, but got a slight head-tilt.

"There is a Time Dilation Field out there. Invisible to the naked eye unless we were right on top of it," Mick said, voice quiet. He looked to Sara, eyes sharp as he waited for her next move.

"We should send the shuttle to check it out," Sara said slowly, feeling a sense of dread looking at Mick's stony expression. "Did you want to go on that mission, Mick?"

Mick shrugged and leaned back, back into parade rest. "Assignments are up to you, Captain."

Everyone on the bridge froze at the emotionless tone that came from the Arsonist. Amaya took a hesitant step closer, one hand reaching for Mick, but she stopped when she saw Sara shake her head. Amaya pulled her hand back, fingers drifting over her amulet in a self-soothing motion as he took a half step back. Martin opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Jax taking a step closer to Mick.

"Dude, you okay?" Jax asked, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "You seem...off."

Mick stared at the young man in silence, eyes assessing the other.

"Something's off, that's for sure," Ray offered, a frown on his normally smiling face. He approached Mick, one hand raised to land on the bald man's shoulder as he approached. "You feeling off, buddy?" he asked as he patted Mick's shoulder.

Mick stared at the hand, a very faint frown on his face as he looked up to Ray. In his mind the chain of command ran through his thoughts. He shrugged his way out from under the hand, back towards a wall as he scanned the room and noted the other looks of concern. Chronos didn't worry about the feelings of others, he'd been feared by the other Hunters in the service of the Time Masters. But he was supposed to be fulfilling the role of Mick Rory to a point. Be useful.

"Mick?" Nate asked, eyebrows furrowed with worry. He didn't really like the man, but he didn't hate him.

"Call me Chronos," Mick replied flatly to Nate. "It is more fitting."

Everyone that had fought against Chronos took several steps back from the arsonist. Nate and Amaya looked at the rest of the crew in confusion.

"That doesn't sound good," Nate offered, he shimmered to his Steel form as he looked back at Mick. Chronos.

"Chronos was a bounty hunter sent by the Time Masters to kill us, or take us in. He was Mick... brainwashed," Sara offered, body a line of tension as she tried to determine if Mick... no, Chronos was going to be a threat to the team. She felt the ache of her missing weapons, too comfortable on the Waverider. She'd have to fix that in the future.

"I have no orders," Chronos replied, voice flat and matter of fact. "Captain Sara Lance is in charge. The rest are equal to each other. I am a subordinate."

"Yeah... 'cause that's not freaky at all," Jax drawled, eyes on Chronos who hadn't moved an inch. He merely looked from person to person as they spoke, a look that almost seemed bored.

"Chronos... What's your mission?" Amaya asked, voice soft, like she was speaking to a spooked animal.

"Stay alive. Follow the Legend's orders," Chronos replied as his eyes and head moved to track her. "To keep this body alive."

"Why?" Ray asked, eyebrows nearly touching each other in his confusion.

"Because Leonard Snart died for Mick Rory," Chronos replied with a tone that spoke volumes.

"But why are you Chronos now? And not Mick Rory?" Nate asked, feeling a little more bold as he let the steel sheen fade from his skin. He recoiled a bit as those dead blue eyes locked on him.

"Because Mick Rory has no one that wants or cares for him," Chronos replied simply.

"Oh shit," Ray breathed, a hand over his mouth as he sat heavily in one the chairs.

"What's wrong, Ray?" Sara asked as she moved over to the scientist.

"We did this," Ray replied with unshed tears in his eyes as he looked over at the shell of the man he'd tried to befriend. Until he'd befriended Nate. And left Mick alone ... again. "We drove him to it. We didn't appreciate him. We did this to him."

"And now he's Chronos," Sara finished.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

/works/9370193 (Forfeit)

Arrogate - to take or claim (something) without justification

"We did this to him," Ray breathed, eyes watery with unshed tears. He was the hero type. It was in his nature to make things better. To help people. Save them. And he'd pushed aside a man; a teammate, just because he wasn't as much of hero as the rest of them. Who didn't fit the mold. Wasn't as into science. "...I destroyed the Cold Gun. And he let me..."

"That is of no importance anymore," Chronos said flatly.

"That makes me feel so much worse," Ray replied as he put his head on his knees, bent double in the chair as though the position would make his guilt more tolerable. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Mick Rory no longer has an opinion on that incident," Chronos offered with a raised eyebrow.

Ray made a retching noise and bolted off the bridge as though the hounds of hell were on his heels. His hands were clamped tightly over his mouth, clearly holding in the vomit.

"Did I say something wrong?" Chronos asked as he looked to Sara for answers.

"I don't know," Sara replied, falling into a nearby chair with a thump like a puppet that had their strings cut.

"I can perform the mission alone if you want, Captain," Chronos offered, head tilted to the side slightly.

"And you'll come back?" Amaya asked, worry clear on her face.

"If that is the mission," Chronos replied. "You may accompany me if you wish."

"I'll go with Chronos, if you'd like," Amaya offered, only a mild hesitation in her voice.

"Thanks, Amaya," Sara replied as she wracked her brain for how they could have prevented the whole situation.

"We will return soon," Amaya assured Sara as she let Chronos lead the way. He gave a slight bow to Sara as he dropped out of parade rest and led the way to the shuttle. His movements were quick and efficient as he stalked his way to the shuttle. "Can you fly this?"

"Yes," Chronos replied as his hands move the controls with a smoothness that spoke of countless hours of practice.. "I have been trained to use every piece of Time Master technology. Hunters were expected to be able to perform any ask given without fail or hesitation." The shuttle shuddered slightly as the docking clamps released the small ship and it slid smoothly into space.

"So... why did you..." Amaya stopped herself and took a moment to fix her train of thought. "Why did Mick pretend he didn't know how to fly the Waverider? Shortly after I met him."

"He wanted nothing to do with me," Chronos replied. "And no one believed in his mind. They treated him as nothing more than dumb muscle. He did what was expected. But he broke."

Amaya placed a gentle hand on Chronos' shoulder. "So you protected him?"

"I became him," Chronos replied flatly.

Amaya pulled her hand back like she'd been burned. She sat in the chair next to Chronos. "You became him?"

"Mick Rory is not here any more," Chronos replied simply as they moved through a small debris field.

Amaya shut her mouth tight, unsure what she could or should say in response. She let her mind work over the problem as they slowed down as they approached a strangely lit swirling vortex of green and black with sparks of blue interspersed. She bit her lip as she looked over the conundrum outside the window.

"We're approaching the Time Dilation Field," Chronos announced, eyes on the displays as he moved the shuttle carefully closer.

"Anything I should know?" Amaya asked as a thrill of worry worked its way up her spine.

"Time will move differently here," Chronos replied simply as the ship moved closer to the swirling vortex. "If something seems wrong, it probably is. Trust your instincts. I have been trained for this situation."

"Got it. And if I manage to get into trouble?" Amaya asked, tone slightly playful.

"Call for me or run to the shuttle," Chronos replied as they moved into the light and the sensation of moving slowly while the world sped past and being stretched moved through the shuttle.

"That was ..." Amaya tired, mind trying to process what she'd just felt.

"Disorienting. Yes," Chronos replied without a second glance over, his eyes stayed trained on the displays. He shook his head to clear the lingering unsettling feeling as they reoriented on what looked to be a ship similar to the Waverider sitting on a platform that was glowing. Chronos frowned a the sight, unsure what to think. Something like that, with no shielding, in the middle of a Time Dilation Field should be tearing itself apart. The ship looked completely out of power, and as the platform rotated a familiar sight came into view.

Cylinders that were strapped together on the center of a round platform that had a small walkway over a pit of swirling green and black, and a ring of cement that went out at least 100 yards. The outer ring was filed with men and women in uniform with guns pointed towards the center platform. There were three that stood out among the crowd. They wore bulky, form concealing robes that made gender identification difficult.

"Who are they?" Amaya asked, eyebrows drawn together in contemplation.

Chronos made a hurt sound in the back of his throat as he looked over the tableau. His eyes traced over familiar figures and he felt lost.

"Chronos?" Amaya called softly, hand hovering over the man's shoulder. "What's wrong? What do you see?"

"It's who..." Chronos murmured, voice barely more than a whisper.

"Who is it?" Amaya prompted, worried for her friend.

"Time Master Druce... and..." Chronos had to close his eyes so he could pull in a ragged breath.

"And?" Amaya prompted again, voice as soothing as she could make it.

"And ... Snart."

TBC ...


	3. Chapter 3

"Snart."

Chronos' statement hung heavy in the air and the tension in the cockpit was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

"Isn't that the name of your old partner?" Amaya asked softly.

"Mick Rory's partner," Chronos replied quietly as his hands trembled faintly on the controls.

"We are in the anomaly, correct?" Amaya asked, and she waited, patiently, for a response. Chronos merely nodded his head jerkily as he opened his eyes again and looked at the readouts. "Then we are likely here for him. We can leave the rest of them here. It is their fate. But we are Legends. We take care of our own, yes?"

Chronos looked at her sideways, eyes narrowed in irritation but he stayed silent.

"I think we should see what we can find out, correct?" Amaya continued without missing a beat. She looked at the screens before them, eyes moving over the information, trying to discern what was being displayed.

Chronos huffed a little as he pointed to one of the screens. "This is what we're looking for," he said flatly. "We have to move the organic matter from the center of the Oculus explosion, but we have to leave something in its place that will conduct the power moving through it. Or the explosion will have never happened and the Time Line will tear itself apart. And most of the known universe. And we don't have much time to deal with this problem."

"I will follow your lead," Amaya offered with a stern look on her face, ready for action. She looked back out the window as she calculated the best course of action to take out the enemies that surrounded them. She nodded; more to herself than to Chronos, and waited for something to happen.

"Stick close. We are going to need some Time Master tech to get through that," Chronos offered as he gestured out the view screen before standing to look for the tech he knew was in the shuttle. He rifled through two different compartments before he found what he was looking for. He pulled two small devices out, about double the size of a deck of cards, a dull grey color, and tossed one to Amaya. "These will help neutralize the effects of the Time Dilation Field. Don't drop it. For any reason. Or you'll be stuck out there, with the rest of the Time Masters and their minions."

"Got it," Amaya replied as she took the device with a nod and tucked it into a pouch on her belt. She patted the pouch, almost as a comforting gesture, before looking back to Chronos for instruction. She squared her shoulders, weight resting lightly on the balls of her feet as she prepared herself the best she could for whatever Chronos might have in mind. She wasn't expecting to get handed another of the small boxes.

"Hold onto that," Chronos said, tone firm.

"What do we need another one for?" Amaya asked as she tucked the new box carefully into a different pouch on her belt.

"That's for Snart," Chronos replied simply. "Each person we want to pull out of this field needs a neutralizer. Or else we would literally tear them apart trying to take them from a pocket of frozen Space-Time. Nearly frozen."

"And we need them to move ourselves, yes?" Amaya asked as she let her hands drift over each device briefly.

"Correct," Chronos replied with a look that wasn't a smile, but more of a look of approval. There was a light in his eyes that spoke of emotion and intelligence, more than he'd shown on the Waverider with the rest of the crew.

Amaya nodded, eyes sharp for hints of readiness.

Chronos tucked his own device away into a pocket in his coat before he pulled out a different box from the wall unit and pulled out a gun that glowed blue in the chamber. "We should not encounter anyone that can move, or affect us in any significant way. But I am prepared."

"Always good to prepare for the worst and hope for the best," Amaya offered serenely.

Chronos nodded without another sound. He moved to the hatch, took a breath and opened it. "Try to avoid touching anyone or anything you don't have to. Make this a quick as possible. The Neutralizers are good, but they have a limited charge. Ten minutes. Maximum."

"Got it. Lead the way?" Amaya offered as she rolled her shoulders and followed.

Chronos readied the gun and kept it in his right hand, eyes sharp and focused as he headed down the ramp. A faint buzzing started up around the two as their feet touched the ground. "Neutralizers." Chronos' boots made little noise as he moved through the open spaces between soldiers and Time Masters. He frowned at Druce; the man had his mouth open like he'd been shouting, but moved past as though there was nothing there once he dismissed the man. Dark blue eyes locked onto the ramp that led up to the Oculus. He made short work of ascending the ramp and making his way over to where Leonard Snart stood. Frozen in time and space.

Captain Cold stood with his right arm inside the Oculus, a snarl of rage and triumph on his face as he faced Druce. His teeth were bared slightly as he held down the switch to keep the self-destruct device active.

Chronos stumbled, hands landing on either side of Snart as he braced himself against the Oculus. A shimmer moved through Snart's body, and the frozen man's eyes seemed to move to look at Chronos.

"Are you all right?" Amaya asked, worry evident in her voice as she reached towards him, but didn't make contact.

"Fine. Just ..." Chronos searched for the word he was looking for as dark blue locked with ice blue. He shivered as that gaze seemed to penetrate into the depths of him and awaken a man; broken and forgotten, in the back of his psyche.

"Overwhelmed?" Amaya finished for him. "I understand the feeling."

"Hn," Chronos replied with a frown as he managed to tear his eyes away from Snart's with effort. He looked over at Amaya briefly and shook his head slightly. "We need to get him out of here. And then get ourselves out of here. Before this place goes critical."

"How do we do that?" Amaya asked as she looked over Snart with a critical eye.

"We're going to have to put one of the neutralizers on him. But we need to use something conducive to keep the switch activated. If we leave him here the anomaly will continue and destroy everything," Chronos replied with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What about your gun?" Amaya asked as she pointed at the gun strapped to Chronos' leg.

Chronos pulled the gun out of the holster and looked at the opening in the Oculus for a moment. "Good idea," he replied with a slight nod. He moved closer to Snart, careful to keep from touching the frozen man, and felt a thrill of something move down his spine as those icy blue eyes seemed to track him. "Get the neutralizer ready for him."

"Okay," Amaya replied as she pulled the inactive box out of its pouch. "What do I need to do?"

"When I tell you, press the button on the top, and then press it to the center of his chest or back. Preferably his chest. Then he can take over holding onto it. But not before I give the order. If you move too soon it won't work right. Or it will fry yours." Chronos moved closer to the opening and powered up the gun he was holding, the soft whine of Time Master Tech filled the platform. The former bounty hunter adjusted his stance so he wasn't touching Snart but could move in to fit the gun into place. He took a breath and looked to Amaya. "Now!"

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

"Now!" Chronos commanded, voice loud and firm.

Amaya moved quickly, hands sure on the unfamiliar device. She pressed the neutralizer to Snart's chest as Chronos pushed his gun into the opening and wedged it into place with a grunt.

"What the hell is going on?!" Snart demanded, body sagging against his will as two sets of hands steadied him. He frowned as his eyes moved around the platform, and finally settled on Chronos. "Mick? I thought I knocked you out... What's going on here?"

Chronos didn't say anything, but looped Snart's arm over his shoulder and started dragging Snart and Amaya towards the ship. "No time for questions," he said dully as a shrill beeping started up from the neutralizers.

"I take it our time is almost up?" Amaya asked with a raised eyebrow. She moved more swiftly as she helped Snart keep his feet under him. "Shorter than ten minutes."

"That was an estimate," Chronos replied as they made it to the ramp and started up.

"Is someone going to tell me what the hell going on?!" Snart demanded, tone dark and icy as he looked over the sea of frozen people surrounding the Oculus. His eyes moved over the scene and he noted the rest of the building was missing, only the area surrounding the platform was visible, and the rest of the space was nothing more than swirling lights in the blackness that was pin-pricked by stars.

"Time anomaly. Get on, sit down, and shut up," Chronos growled as he threw himself into the pilot's seat. The shuttle shuddered as a ripple moved outward from the Oculus and nearly threw the ship into a wall, Chronos grunted in effort as he barely managed to avoid the crash.

Snart wisely sat down and pulled the harness straps into place as he sat across from Amaya and tried to figure out what she was doing with this strange version of Mick. He felt a thrill of fear and excitement when he saw this Mick. Excitement that he got to see his partner again, but fear because the tone he was using was eerily familiar. When he'd been facing down the Time Masters, he was sure he was dead. There was no way he was going to make it out of that situation alive. He'd made his peace. Somewhat. But here was Mick; or some version of him, saving him from certain death. Again.

As soon as the shuttle stabilized and started away from the small platform full of Time Masters and the Oculus another shuddering pulse moved out from the device and the platform started shaking apart. Threads of green and blue light shot through the area, dissolving everything in its path before the whole thing shone brightly for a fraction of a second ... before collapsing back in on itself.

Snart blinked slowly, eyes taking in the scene before he turned back to the man at the controls. He opened his mouth a few times but closed it without saying anything. He wasn't sure where to begin.

"Chronos," Amaya said softly, she noted the way Snart shivered slightly and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "how long until we are back at the Waverider?"

"Ten minutes," Chronos replied tonelessly. His eyes stared out the view screen almost sightlessly.

"Chronos?" Snart asked, tone soft and a little hesitant. He gave said man a wary look, eyes slightly wider than usual as he leaned back in his seat, arms loose and ready for a fight.

Chronos merely grunted and kept his hands busy on the controls.

"That is the name he has chosen for the time being," Amaya offered as she turned to look over at Snart. She gave him a mildly pained expression. "Something happened and he decided to change what he is to be addressed as."

Snart's eyes narrowed dangerously as he listened closely. "Really? Do you know what prompted this change? And how bad has it been?"

"Chronos has been perfectly helpful and capable," Amaya replied softly, eyebrows drawn together in worry. "Is there something wrong?"

Snart shook his head a little before he managed to get his thoughts together. "I didn't like Chronos," he finally said after a moment of silence. He looked at Amaya for a few moments. "You're pretty easy on the eyes, aren't you?"

Chronos twitched a bit but didn't say anything as the Waverider came back into view.

"Is that your way of saying I'm pretty?" Amaya asked with the faintest blush rising on her cheeks. She shook her head and smiled at Snart, realizing the mild flirting as his default.

"It is," Snart replied with a drawl and a smile. The happy expression on his face fell as he looked back over at Chronos with a pensive thoughtful expression replaced it.

"Is this about when he hunted the Legends before? When he worked for the Time Masters?" Amaya asked head tilted slightly as she tried to work through what the man they'd rescued was thinking.

"Something like that," Snart drawled again, accent thick as he looked over at Chronos. He didn't know why seeing the other adopt the name he'd used when he was a nearly emotionless Bounty Hunter for the Time Masters bothered him so much. But it did. To a degree that set his teeth on edge just thinking about it. He watched as Chronos deftly maneuvered the shuttle into dock with the Waverider and felt like this might be part of the problem. Mick had always been happy to play the part of the dumb muscle. It had gotten them out of quite a few scrapes when they were younger, people underestimating Mick's intelligence until it was too late. But this... easy use of that knowledge that had been given by the Time Masters? It made Snart very uneasy.

"We're docked," Chronos said, not moving from his seat, almost as though he didn't want to face Snart as much as the thief didn't want to face him.

"We should go tell the rest of the crew the good news," Amaya offered after a prolonged; and frankly uncomfortable, silence.

"That I'm back from the dead?" Snart asked, not looking away from where Chronos sat, still as a statue.

"Yes, do you not think the others will be happy to have one of the team back?" Amaya asked, eyebrows drawn together.

"I'm sure they'll be ecstatic," Snart replied with a faint frown on his face.

TBC ...


	5. Chapter 5

"Le-Leonard!?" Sara's voice cracked in a way it hadn't since she was in high school. Her whole body froze as surely as if Snart had hit her with the Cold Gun. "How?"

"He was in the anomaly," Chronos offered stiffly as he moved onto the bridge and off to the side of the Captain's office, hands behind his back and feet shoulder width apart at parade rest again. He kept his eyes in the distant corner of the room, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"Really?" Martin asked as he turned to look between those that had been on the shuttle. "Fascinating."

"So, what happened?" Jax asked as he looked around the room and guessed that no one was willing to ask the harder questions. "How's Snart alive? Not that I'm not happy to see you, man." He held a hand out towards Snart, half in greeting and half in a halting motion. "But I thought the Oculus explosion was supposed to destroy everything around it. We saw the explosion."

"It seems like there was something disastrous about it exploding with organic matter inside," Amaya offered. "At least, that's what Chronos said when we arrived. The Living matter was causing a ... collapse if we let it continue. Time was frozen and we had to use some special devices on the shuttle to move through the frozen area. And then we pulled Snart from the Oculus and got back on the shuttle. By the time we were pulling away, the Oculus?" She paused for a second to confirm the word she'd heard earlier and got a quick nod from Chronos. "It exploded. And we came back here. I thought you all would be happier that one of your crew was found to be alive and could be saved?"

"We are happy to have Leonard back," Sara replied as she stepped closer as Snart raised an eyebrow at the way Sara said his name. "We're just worried about ..." she looked over her shoulder at Chronos. "We're a bit worried about Chronos' ... performance. And just how much Leonard might have been affected by being so close to the Oculus for so long. Even if he was in a patch of frozen time."

Snart; Leonard, raised his other eyebrow at the statement before quickly schooling his expression to one of indifference. He hadn't thought about that yet. But it was clear that some time had passed since he'd gone to sacrifice himself. The Hawks were gone, and no one had mentioned Savage or the Time Masters. He figured he'd bide his time and ask Gideon the questions he wanted answers to later. At least the AI was straightforward, this issue with Mick was more worrisome to him at the moment.

"Well, I think Chronos did well on the mission," Amaya replied hesitantly. "If a bit distant. He was very ... efficient."

"Yeah, 'cause that's like the Mick we all know," Leonard practically snarled as he practically threw himself into one of the chairs. He noted the way they'd been moved and thought it was an interesting rearrangement, but moved furniture wasn't going to deter him from figuring out what happened to his partner. "He's always happy to blend into the background and _not_ light things on fire."

Those that had been on the Waverider the longest shifted uncomfortably. Ray was uncharacteristically quiet, off to the side and eyes downcast. Martin's mouth was closed in a thin line. Sara leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest, almost defensively.

"Well?" Leonard demanded as he leaned forward, eyes scanning the crew. Only Jax and Amaya looked like they didn't feel guilty, but they didn't look happy. "What happened while I was 'dead'?"

"Look ... just because Mr. Rory has chosen to adopt a different attitude, doesn't mean there's something wrong with him, is there?" Martin said as he tried to look confident about his statement.

"I've known Mick for over thirty years," Leonard started, voice low and dangerous. "The only time he's ever acted like _this_," he pointed over to where Mick/Chronos stood at parade rest and seemed indifferent to the conversation about him. "Is after the Time Masters messed with his head. And even then, he wasn't this quiet. Or this ... this..." Leonard sputtered a bit, which shocked the others when the normally cool-headed criminal was at a loss for words. "It's like he's been lobotomized!"

"We don't really know what happened," Sara offered quickly, voice quiet as she took a step towards Leonard, hands out to show she was just talking and not about to attack. Leonard looked a bit like a caged animal, eyes wide and his face was slightly flushed. "He just started acting like this after a mission. Told us to call him Chronos. You've been dead... or you were dead to us for almost a year."

"And it's so nice of you to fill me in on the details of that time, and mess with my partner," Leonard snarled, teeth bared for a moment. "What happened on this 'mission' that had Mick wanting to be Chronos?"

"I don't know," Sara admitted softly.

"He got real quiet after Gray yelled at him," Jax offered. He shrugged off the look Martin was giving him; one that spoke of betrayal.

"Mr. Rory wasn't offering any helpful insight. I merely asked him to be quiet," Martin countered, trying to use his most soothing voice, but he could tell it wasn't working on Leonard as the thief narrowed his eyes at the professor. "I ... I don't know why he would have taken anything I said to heart. He never has before."

"Maybe it has something to do with the brain surgery you did?" Sara asked with an arched eyebrow, she still wasn't sure why she hadn't approached Martin about it sooner.

"You performed brain surgery on my partner?!" Leonard growled as he took to his feet, he marched over to Martin and had him pinned to the wall, one hand raised in a fist.

"I merely removed a device the Time Masters had implanted in his head!" Martin yelled as he held his hands up to stop Leonard from taking out his frustration.

"What kind of device, _Professor_?" Leonard asked, voice dangerously quiet as he lowered his hand and held the man's shirt in a grip that spoke of pure violence if he didn't like the answer.

"It was some kind of antenna. I don't know what it was supposed to be used for, but it was broken. We thought it might be causing Mr. Rory to have hallucinations of you! He said he kept seeing and hearing you after you'd died. And when we scanned the device it wasn't working. Mr. Rory asked me to remove it so he'd stop seeing his dead friend all the time. I did. I figured it was either causing his grief to manifest you... or that you might be scattered across the Timeline and the device; even broken, was picking up traces of you from Mr. Rory's thoughts and causing something to manifest that only he could see and hear!"

Leonard's eyes went wide in shock for a moment at the revelation and his hands loosened their grip. He took a step back, mind quickly processing what he'd just been told. The others looked towards Chronos with varying levels of sympathy and concern as the man stood stock still, eyes still locked on the wall. Leonard's shaky legs led him to a chair where he sat down heavily, one hand over his mouth as he tried to figure out what his next move should be. His mind supplied the strange flashes he'd had when he was frozen. The feeling that more time had passed than what he'd experienced when Mick/Chronos and Amaya had pulled him away from the Oculus. He shook his head and looked up to see Chronos looking at him with a strange expression in his eyes and on his face. More emotion than Leonard had seen on the man's face since he'd been unfrozen.

TBC ...


	6. Chapter 6

Chronos felt as though he was in the middle of a storm on the ocean. Things swirled through his thoughts as he looked over at the; supposedly dead, now living Leonard Snart. He felt a thrill of concern when he and Amaya had seen the thief on the Oculus platform. There was a tug in the back of the Bounty Hunter's mind, but he staunchly ignored it. There was a mission at hand, and the mission took priority.

Rescuing Leonard Snart only made the tugging sensation worse. The deal was that he would _be_ Chronos because there was no one left that wanted or needed Mick Rory around. Chronos was to stay alive and help the crew of the Waverider. Nothing more and nothing less. He was following orders, even if it meant changing the fact that Leonard Snart was dead.

Well, in all honesty, Leonard Snart had not actually died. He'd been in an explosion at the Oculus that sent the device and everyone and everything around it into a pocket of space and time. The Timeline didn't want the explosion to happen with a living person in the center of the explosion. Touching the Oculus. So it had made the event into an aberration. Something that Time Travelers could fix.

But now that they were back on the Waverider, with the _living_ Leonard Snart... Chronos had a decision to make. He hadn't been dismissed by Captain Lance so he stood away from the others, ready for action and ears alert for someone actively talking to him, but his mind turned inward.

The swirling galaxy and eyes that lived there writhed at the changes that had occurred. The eyes bored into Chronos, seeming to judge the Bounty Hunter. Stars exploded and gases swirled in a way that spoke of severe unrest. Chronos let his helmeted eyes roam over the galaxy, trying to determine the best course of action. This is where Mick Rory had surrendered to Chronos, but should the Bounty Hunter relinquish control to him now that Leonard Snart was alive?

A sensation like something trying to push its way out of his rib-cage brought Chronos' awareness to himself as those on the Bridge talked and pointed but did not speak to him directly.

"I want to live," Mick's voice was faint, almost muffled like it was coming from behind the flesh and armor on Chronos' chest.

"You gave up. You wanted me to take control," Chronos countered emotionlessly.

"I didn't know Lenny was alive!"

Chronos grunted. It was a truthful argument, even if he didn't see the point in becoming dormant again. He was in control. The only way Mick was getting control back, was if Chronos gave up willingly. Mick couldn't fight Chronos at this a second time. Not if he wanted to win. He would need an outside influence to help him regain control. Leonard Snart was the only one that could do that, and what Chronos' physical eyes told him, was that the thief had other things on his mind. Chronos looked at Leonard as the other looked up and their blue eyes locked. A silent staring contest for a moment before Leonard looked away again. Chronos turned his thoughts inward once more.

"Let me out," Mick growled, and Chronos could feel his chest bow outward.

"Maybe," Chronos relented after a moment. He pulled the armor on his chest off and Mick practically fell out of him. "But I am not going away."

"Didn't think you would," Mick replied from his place on the 'ground'. He stood and dusted himself off. His eyes roamed around the galaxies that surrounded them and he looked uneasy about the location. The eyes rolled at him, narrowing as they scrutinized him closely.

"They are talking about us," Chronos intoned flatly, he blinked at Mick slowly despite the fact that the man couldn't see his eyes. He replaced the armor on his chest and the void where Mick had been was hidden from view again.

"I could hear that..." Mick replied as he shivered and looked back at the inexpressive eyes of the helmet before him. "What are we going to do about it?"

"I could stay in control," Chronos replied solemnly.

"Not a chance. Len won't let you," Mick growled, eyebrows drawn together in determination. He rolled his shoulders like he was getting ready for a fight.

"Mick?" Leonard's voice cut through the galaxies and eyes.

Chronos' focused on the man before him, eyebrows knit together in confusion as he noticed the way the thief was in his personal space, examining him slowly and carefully. "You can call me that, though the name Chronos is more appropriate."

"I doubt the Mick I know is completely gone," Leonard replied with a sly smile on his face and a knowing looking in his eyes.

"Hn," Chronos replied as he looked down slightly.

TBC ...


	7. Chapter 7

"Leonard, what are you doing?" Sara demanded, voice tight with worry and confusion.

"I don't think he's entirely Chronos," Leonard replied as he stood in front of said man, eyes carefully scrutinizing the other. He could have sworn there was something familiar in those nearly dead looking dark blue eyes for a moment. It gave him a thrill of hope that Mick might still be in there. That he hadn't given up to depression and his own mind. To what the Time Masters had done to him. "I think our..." he paused and sneered. "_MY_ Mick is still in there. Aren't you? Mick?"

Chronos' eyes focused on Leonard as though he'd been lost in thought, a faint frown tugged at the older man's lips. "You may call me that, though the name Chronos is more appropriate."

"I doubt the Mick I know is completely gone," Leonard replied with a sly smile on his face.

"Hn," Chronos replied as he allowed their eyes to lock. He could feel Mick inside their head, pushing for Chronos to go back to his hole. To let Mick have control again. To let him out. "He is not."

Leonard felt like he could have danced at the admission from Chronos, but he held his emotions in check and made sure to school his expression. "And? How do I get my Mick back."

"I would have to relinquish my existence to him again," Chronos replied quietly. He noted the way the others kept their distance from him and knew they couldn't really hear their conversation. "But I do not wish to be discarded again. And what is to say you will not allow yourself to be killed again? It would be redundant to allow him control only for him to forfeit his existence to me again."

Leonard gave a soft growl of irritation, barely loud enough for Chronos to hear despite their close proximity. He looked away for a moment before locking eyes with the man before him again. "I'm not giving up on him."

"I don't doubt that," Chronos replied with a slightly raised eyebrow, words slightly drawled the way he'd spoken to Leonard when he'd caught the younger man while Chronos had still been in the employ of the Time Masters.

"Then we are at an impasse?" Leonard asked eyes narrowed in thought.

"Perhaps," Chronos replied slowly. "Perhaps not."

"You have something in mind?" Leonard practically demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"I will have to talk to Mick Rory," Chronos drawled slowly.

Leonard's carefully constructed expression fell to one of honest hope and disbelief. "You're going to talk to him? To Mick?" he asked, tone slightly breathless.

"I can," Chronos answered simply. "He and I are one and the same. Though we view things in different lights."

"I want to talk to him. I want to talk to Mick," Leonard announced firmly, tone offering no quarter or leeway.

Chronos hummed in response, the sound somewhere between a growl and a noise of assent.

TBC ...


	8. Chapter 8

div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;"Chronos gave a sound between a growl and assent as he looked at Leonard Snart with a critical eye. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""I want to talk to Mick," Leonard demanded again, tone cold. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;"Chronos frowned at the demand but felt a pull in his mind and he turned his mind inward. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""Let me out," Mick growled, trying to sound convincing; menacing even, despite the way his voice wavered slightly. He crossed his arms over his chest in an unconsciously defensive maneuver. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""Maybe," Chronos replied, cold eyes and armor unmoving in the faint light of the swirling galaxies. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""I gave you control because he was dead," Mick countered, voice dark and low. "I will take back what is mine if ... I have to."/div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""And if I refuse?" Chronos asked words drawled slightly as he looked over the man before him. The man he'd been before the Time Masters had created the persona of Chronos. A persona that was more like a separate entity, a separate person, than the brainwashing they'd intended. He had his own will and desires. Most of those desires revolved around existing and killing his enemies, but they were his own. And if he had retained anything from his time as Mick Rory, it was a fierce desire to keep what was his./div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""I'll fight you. And I'll find a way to win," Mick replied with a shrug as though the thought of fighting Chronos didn't bother him in the slightest. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;"The galaxies writhed unhappily, and the lights dimmed slightly. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;"Chronos blinked back to the present as a hand was waved in front of his face again and he snatched the offending appendage and held it tightly before his dark eyes trailed up the limb to meet Leonard's ice blue eyes. Chronos raised an eyebrow in challenging question. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""You seemed a little lost in thought," Leonard offered in a way that spoke of boredom, but the look in his eyes told another story. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""Alone," Chronos conceded after a few moments of silence. He looked around the bridge and noted the way most of the others were avoiding his gaze. "If you want to speak to ... Mick. You will do it alone."/div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;"Leonard nodded as he turned to the others with a hard look in his eyes. "You heard the man. Beat it. If I need help Gideon can call for you. Right, Gideon?"/div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""That is correct, Mister Snart," Gideon replied placidly. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;"The others slowly made their way out of the room, Sara lingered the longest by the door, almost as though he thought her teammate might let her stay longer if everyone else had left. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;"Leonard gave Sara a soft, but stern, half-smile and shook his head. His eyes followed her as she shrugged and shook her head before leaving. Leonard turned back to Chronos; the face of his former partner tared back at him, and she gave a soft sigh. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""What do you want?" Chronos asked, tone flat as he looked at Leonard with emotionless eyes. He stood, feet shoulder with apart and hands loosely clasped together in front of him, his shoulder held a tension reserved for those expecting to be attacked at any moment. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""I want.." Leonard sighed and ran a hand over his short hair. "I want my partner back. I want Mick back."/div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;""And what of my existence?" Chronos countered simply, eyebrows drawn together for a few moments before his expression schooled back into one of indifference. /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;"Leonard looked at Chronos thoughtfully, eyes mapping the way this other ... personality; for lack of a better word, existed. He looked at the former Hunter as he thought before he came to a conclusion. "I have an idea..."/div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" /div  
div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.57143em; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #383838;"TBC .../div 


	9. Chapter 9

Chronos gave a sound between a growl and assent as he looked at Leonard Snart with a critical eye.

"I want to talk to Mick," Leonard demanded again, tone cold.

Chronos frowned at the demand but felt a pull in his mind and he turned his mind inward.

"Let me out," Mick growled, trying to sound convincing; menacing even, despite the way his voice wavered slightly. He crossed his arms over his chest in an unconsciously defensive maneuver.

"Maybe," Chronos replied, cold eyes and armor unmoving in the faint light of the swirling galaxies.

"I gave you control because he was dead," Mick countered, voice dark and low. "I will take back what is mine if ... I have to."

"And if I refuse?" Chronos asked words drawled slightly as he looked over the man before him. The man he'd been before the Time Masters had created the persona of Chronos. A persona that was more like a separate entity, a separate person, than the brainwashing they'd intended. He had his own will and desires. Most of those desires revolved around existing and killing his enemies, but they were his own. And if he had retained anything from his time as Mick Rory, it was a fierce desire to keep what was his.

"I'll fight you. And I'll find a way to win," Mick replied with a shrug as though the thought of fighting Chronos didn't bother him in the slightest.

The galaxies writhed unhappily, and the lights dimmed slightly.

Chronos blinked back to the present as a hand was waved in front of his face again and he snatched the offending appendage and held it tightly before his dark eyes trailed up the limb to meet Leonard's ice blue eyes. Chronos raised an eyebrow in challenging question.

"You seemed a little lost in thought," Leonard offered in a way that spoke of boredom, but the look in his eyes told another story.

"Alone," Chronos conceded after a few moments of silence. He looked around the bridge and noted the way most of the others were avoiding his gaze. "If you want to speak to ... Mick. You will do it alone."

Leonard nodded as he turned to the others with a hard look in his eyes. "You heard the man. Beat it. If I need help Gideon can call for you. Right, Gideon?"

"That is correct, Mister Snart," Gideon replied placidly.

The others slowly made their way out of the room, Sara lingered the longest by the door, almost as though he thought her teammate might let her stay longer if everyone else had left.

Leonard gave Sara a soft, but stern, half-smile and shook his head. His eyes followed her as she shrugged and shook her head before leaving. Leonard turned back to Chronos; the face of his former partner tared back at him, and she gave a soft sigh.

"What do you want?" Chronos asked, tone flat as he looked at Leonard with emotionless eyes. He stood, feet shoulder with apart and hands loosely clasped together in front of him, his shoulder held a tension reserved for those expecting to be attacked at any moment.

"I want.." Leonard sighed and ran a hand over his short hair. "I want my partner back. I want Mick back."

"And what of my existence?" Chronos countered simply, eyebrows drawn together for a few moments before his expression schooled back into one of indifference.

Leonard looked at Chronos thoughtfully, eyes mapping the way this other ... personality; for lack of a better word, existed. He looked at the former Hunter as he thought before he came to a conclusion. "I have an idea..."

TBC ...


End file.
